Our very own MrCere, Larry Curtis, was a guest on last Sunday’s broadcast of ‘Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib,’ on WNJC 1360 AM, Philadelphia at 11AM ET. As always, it was broadcast live via the internet via the WNJC website. A full transcript of the radio segment can be found below (thanks to Deleece Cook!). TheOneRing.net is featured every other week on Fictional Frontiers. Continue reading “Fictional Frontiers Radio Transcript”

Dominic Monaghan is helping bring attention to both his film “I Sell The Dead,” and the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City Utah where both opened Friday.  He spoke to MTV here, is talked about in one Salt Lake City paper here and the other daily SLC paper covered his appearance at Slamdance here along with several photos and here with more photos. Enjoy!

Jonathan Dean from independent.co.uk writes: Eleven hours and 38 minutes. That’s how much of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings is available for anyone smitten by elves, dwarves and small things with hairy feet. It’s the same time it takes to fly halfway round the world. It’s a heck of a stretch to spend in Middle Earth. But if said land – where JRR Tolkien’s books are set – sounds a little like purgatory, here’s some hellish news for anyone immune to the charms of Gollum, Frodo, Gandalf and co: the fantasy is back. It will be the biggest film story from now until the end of 2012. You have been warned.

The addition to the yarn is a two-part imagining of The Hobbit – a prequel to the most successful film trilogy of all time that began with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 and wrapped up with The Return of the King two years later, nabbing 17 Oscars and $2.91bn in takings. Such figures turned the decision to film Tolkien’s much-loved introductory novel into a no-brainer. But what has shocked fans is that Jackson – godlike in Ring circles – only executive produces this time, handing directing responsibilities over to Guillermo del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy fame. Perhaps the creator has tired of the world he so meticulously made. It wouldn’t be surprising. Ever since the curtain rose on the trilogy, the franchise has been milked. Online shops stock 20-plus DVD spin-offs (Special Extended Editions, Box Sets, Special Limited Editions, a Trivial Pursuit game), with Blu-Rays to come. On the official site, 18-carat gold “One Ring To Rule Them All” gift boxes are being bought at £380 a pop. Such marketing clout greatly excites the studio moneymen. In short, no fantasy novel has been safe from being filmed. The battle for Middle Earth

We all love to give and receive. The old saying goes that ‘It’s the thought that counts,’ and while nobody can argue with such a noble sentiment, perhaps some thoughts are better than others. For instance, if the gift that demonstrates that your ‘thought’ included consideration that your intended recipient is a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, it will probably be more appreciated than the one that prompts you to buy a big-box store gift certificate. So what is the perfect gift for the Tolkien reader this year? We have three suggestions. Continue reading “Christmas gift suggestions for Tolkien fans”

From Pieter Collier at GTC Roadshow AG: GTC AG, a Swiss based company, announces the acquisition of the second most expensive Tolkien book ever sold; a signed Hobbit bought from Peter Harrington¹s for £53,000 setting a new benchmark for a signed book.

The book was inscribed by Tolkien while staying with Jack Bennett, a friend and former colleague from Oxford. J.A.W. “Jack” Bennett (1911-81) succeeded C.S. Lewis as Professor of Medieval & Renaissance English at Cambridge. Continue reading “Signed Hobbit Goes for £53,000”

Illustrated by Michael Hague
Illustrated by Michael Hague
Fictional Frontiers Radio show host Sohaib Awan talked to Hobbit Illustrator Michael Hague about The Hobbit films. Below is the partial transcript, the bit regarding the Hobbit … Micahel is such a fan of the Lord of the Rings films and is looking forward to seeing the Hobbit films.

I’m just excited as a filmgoer to watch these films when they come out. I’m jazzed by it!

 
You can read the transcript below and discuss in the Main Forum.
Continue reading “Sohaib Awan Talks to Illustrator Michael Hague on The Hobbit”